Michael Owen's sad walk along the touchline at the Stade Velodrome, with Liverpool club doctor Mark Waller a concerned party alongside him, was bad news for both his club and country.

Owen had limped away from Liverpool's UEFA Cup exit to Marseille 3-2 on aggregate, with England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson going cold as he no doubt watched on TV.

Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier did not take long to emphasise the double blow. He said: "Michael complained of a tight hamstring so we had to take him off. He will probably not be available for the national team next week."

With Eriksson preparing for Euro 2004 with a game in Sweden, he would have wanted Owen to participate. But worse was to hear that dreaded word "hamstring" mentioned in the same breath as Owen again. He will surely miss Liverpool's Sunday match at Leicester, with the trip to Sweden very unlikely.

It was a cruel blow for Houllier, who blasted Spanish referee Dauden Ibanez for sending off Igor Biscan for a tug on Steve Marlet's shorts which could well have been outside the area.

The Frenchman said: "We lost in a very unfair way. The incident with Igor Biscan could have been a free-kick, but to get a penalty and red card was two bad decisions.

"It had a major influence on the outcome of the game. It was outrageous."